Ode to Hannah

Our Hannah-Bear

Hannah made this in art class. She sculpted it from a block of styrofoam.

Hannah is our artistic, beautiful and loving daughter. Her creative abilities always amaze us! She made this poem for one of her classes.  

I Belong

By Hannah Mietzner

I belong to dusty torn photos of,

Glistening ruby flats wrapped around my feet,

A checkered dress flaring down beneath my knees,

Braids streaming below with the scent of a blooming rose, 

And a rapturous smile wanting Dorothy to see.

I belong to moist filling fudge shredded on my cheeks,

"I'm saving it for later."

Slippery noodles boiled with a dash of round tomatoes,

"Thanks for dinner."

Plump berries tumbling on my tongue,

"No more until you eat your vegetables."

I belong to rapid roller coasters weaving through the crowded parks,

"We're gonna die!" "You're so dramatic!"

Cruising around the pocket Puget Sound,

Hula dancers hanging loose by the windy beaches,

And a far-flung trip to the book country, Italy.

I belong with Papa and Ba Ngoai on a Merry Christmas day,

A jovial spring time drifting candle flames away,

Dinging on doors with a costume surprise,

Hunting for colorful eggs hidden in the wavy emerald grass.

I belong to gliding down turf sidelines, 

A cross down the vast, foggy field,

Maneuvering to get to the narrow knitted goal,

And a POW!

A kick leading above the goalie's gloved fingers,

And a HORRAY from the fans.

I belong to rambunctious, tippy-toe sprints of a tiny 2 year old brother,

A gala in the hands of a helpful Mother and step dad,

Lounging in the lay-back chair while navy braces grab my teeth,

And a new elementary friend who is affable, caring, and a laughable person.

I belong to an educated learning tool, 

Sitting in my head being used this very moment,

With the character of trust to not live a lie,

Grinning at the people I shake hands with,

And staying positive with the bad news I get.

That's where I belong.

This weekend Hannah played in her one and only tennis tournament of the year. She did great! Cleared the first round and played real hard in the second. Unfortunately she didn't win the tournament, but we are real proud of her for trying her best!

Ben's 8th Grade graduation

Our big guy has graduated from middle school and is on his way to high school! Way to go Ben!

Love this photo! So cute~ 

Waiting for the ceremony to begin. Jacob came with us!  We were crammed in the bleachers. I felt sorry for Mark and Jacob. Two tall guys having to cram their legs in tiny little bleachers, and boy was it getting hot!

Happy Father's Day Weekend

The weekend started out with Ben going to his tournament in Kent Friday night. Friday night traffic is the pits, but after 1 1/2 hours on the road we finally got there with 15 minutes to spare. Luckily they were running a little behind schedule so Ben had time to organize and mentally prepare himself.

Ashton and I always know how to keep entertained while waiting hours for Ben's tournament to be completed. The last few times we have brought his favorite game Sequence. But watch out - He can be such a sore loser!

We never leave home without his Elmo bag full of trains and tracks! That can keep him occupied a bit so I can watch some of Ben's match.

Ben won his first match.  He was so patient. I was amazed.  He went on to play again Saturday morning. Unfortunately he lost in 2 very hard long sets. He'll try again in a few weeks.

Father's Day was great. Mark had a relaxing Morning and then we had a great afternoon spent with family! We had some great yummy desserts all afternoon too. 

Three generations of Bergmans

I am supposed to say my camera stinks and Christy's eyes are not possessed! 

For Father's day, Ashton and I made Mark a stepping stone. I sure had a hard time convincing him to put his hands in. He didn't want to get dirty. Silly boy! Gotta get him into dirt and sand this summer! He told daddy his gift was a Valentines present. Apparently he is associating hearts with Valentines Day still.

It says Ashton "heart"s Daddy

 Hannah enjoyed her day riding her Auntie Tracey's horse today. She loved it. I am sure she will be asking for a pony for her birthday. Good luck with that one Hannah!

She sure looks good up there!

Need to mow?

Mowing has been Ashtons highlight this June. With lots of rain and little bits of sun, the grass keeps on growing. He constantly wants to get out there and mow. He doesn't seem to understand why we can not mow all the time like him. We decided to graduate him from the baby mower to the big boy mower! Just look at his expressions. He sure does take this job seriously!

When the sun isn't shining we are learning to pass time with trains, puzzles and MARIO DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!  Boy can that kid can move! He has been watching us enough to try and groove, but the "F's" keep coming out. Someday he'll realize he has to watch those arrows on the TV at the same time.  (Had a video of Hannah too, but she didn't want me to post it.  She is the queen of Dance in this house!)

So I just can't forget to mention that my Mom and Dad took Ashton and I to the beach a few weeks back. Ashton kept asking to go to the beach and was really excited when they said yes!  He got there and wanted to take his sandals off. As soon as he did, he didn't like it! He would not touch that sand at all. I tried to place him on the sand and his legs wrapped around me. It was so comical. What a silly kid!

Time for Summer hikes!

What a beautiful day it was! We spent the whole entire day outside going from one park to another. We even had to put on sunscreen! It sure felt like summer, even though it was just a gorgeous spring filled day.

We did take an exciting adventure in the woods today. Ashtons first time and he loved it! I think he was letting me know that he likes the woods and Hiking is his thing! Can't wait to try Geoaching with him someday!! Gonna start reading up on it. Looks like a blast! For now we will just go find some local trees and trails.

Spring fun!

So I feel that Spring has finally sprung! Yes the rain is still coming, but this warmer weather and sunshine has been a nice change. I must admit that I love the fall and winter best, but Ashton sure does seem happier when he can get outside for a bit. That Vitamin D must be calling his name!


Since the sun is out, it is now time for those outdoor projects to get done! They worked on building a gate on the side of the fence. It turned out great, and now we don't have to walk around the other side of the house when Ashton kicks a ball over the fence.




Hannah talked Ashton into looking for four leaf clovers the other day. We showed him some two leaf clovers and he thought that was cool enough. He gave up and went back to riding his tricycle.

The newest thing we taught him was baseball tonight. He has graduated from T-ball already! Good thing we are only using plastic balls. Soon we won't be able to hit in the yard anymore. We'll have to find a open field. In the first video Mark had two balls. The first ball was Ashton's first home run over the fence. (Note the ball in Mark's hand is actually the second ball. The camera slipped.)


Let's see......I guess the next sport would either be Hockey or Golf. I think we'll try Golf next.

My little girl turned 13!

Happy 13th Birthday Hannah-Bear!